- Gentry class. This was the upper class in the English colonies. …
- Middle class. The Middle class was well respected within the English colonies. …
- Lower class (farmers) …
- Indentured servants. …
- Free African Americans. …
- Native Americans. …
- Slaves.
They were
the gentry, the middle class, and the poor
. The highest class was the gentry. They could vote. They were rich enough to own their own mansions and carriages.
While the Southern Colonies were mainly dominated by the small class of wealthy planters in Maryland, Virginia, and South Carolina, the majority of settlers were
small subsistence farmers
who owned family farms.
The wealthy plantation owners were families that were
slave owners
. They made their money by making the slaves to do their work and get much profit in return. Their population was only about 1,700 but was the highest class in the southern colonies.
What were the various classes into which colonial society was divided?
The three main social classes in Colonial society were
the gentry, the middle class and the lower class
.
They worked as professionals, such as lawyers and doctors, or merchants who owned stores. Most of the population in Colonial America belong to the group called
middle class
, which came right after the gentry. Although the middle class freemen owned land and property, they were not as wealthy as gentry.
- Gentry class. This was the upper class in the English colonies. …
- Middle class. The Middle class was well respected within the English colonies. …
- Lower class (farmers) …
- Indentured servants. …
- Free African Americans. …
- Native Americans. …
- Slaves.
Who made up the middle class in the colonies?
The presence of
Quakers, Mennonites, Lutherans, Dutch Calvinists, and Presbyterians
made the dominance of one faith next to impossible. The middle colonies included Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Delaware.
The most important factor that determined which class a person belonged to in America was
wealth
. The people that you might mix with, as in Europe, was also initially determined by class, education, family background (power and influence) and social standing.
Artisans
occupied the next layer of the social pyramid. This group included craftspeople like carpenters, metalworkers, painters, sculptors, and stone carvers. Artisans were highly skilled, but they had little social status. At the bottom of the social pyramid were the peasants.
What did the middle colonies have in common?
The Middle Colonies had much fertile soil, which allowed the area to become a major exporter of
wheat and other grains
. The lumber and shipbuilding industries were also successful in the Middle Colonies because of the abundant forests, and Pennsylvania was moderately successful in the textile and iron industries.
Who owned land in colonial America?
Basically,
the King
claimed ownership of the colonial land, and distributed it according to a variety of laws subject to his approval. No matter that the land was already occupied by native tribes. What land could not be purchased could be taken by treaty or by force.
What type of society was Colonial America?
Definition of Colonial Society: Colonial society in the North America colonies in the 18th century (1700's) was represented by
a small wealthy social group having a distinctive cultural and economic organization
. The members of Colonial society had similar social status, roles, language, dress and norms of behavior.
What are the major features of a colonial society?
There are four common characteristics of colonialism:
political and legal domination over an alien society
.
relations of economics and political dependence
.
exploitation between imperial
powers and the colony.
All of the systems of government in the New England Colonies
elected their own legislature
, they were all democratic, they all had a governor, governor's court, and a court system. The government systems used by the New England Colonies were Royal of Charter.
In the English colonies there were six social classes. From the richest to the poorest, these were the gentry,
the middle Class, poor whites, indentured servants, free africans and slaves
.